Breeding in northern Europe and Asia and wintering in Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and the Middle East, these finches are also found in Alaska during migration and occasionally as vagrants in other parts of the United States. They eat seeds, grain, fruits, and insects, feeding mostly on seeds during the winter. They are frequently found in flocks of thousands in winter, which often also include chaffinches and other finch species. Females build loose cup-shaped nests from grass, bark, heather, moss, lichen, and feathers, incubating the eggs while the males feed them. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge in about two weeks.